Former Police Chief Who Framed Multiple Black Men Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison

Raimundo Atesiano, the former Biscayne Park, Florida police chief who directed his officers to frame innocent black men for a series of unsolved burglaries, was sentenced to three years in prison by a federal judge.

Atesiano was found guilty of conspiracy of depriving multiple people of their civil rights. He had encouraged his officers to pin unsolved burglaries on any African American with “somewhat of a record” in order to keep his record perfect and please community leaders, according to the Miami Herald.

His actions resulted in a 16-year-old boy being falsely charged, as well as a Haitian man who was illegally jailed and ultimately deported.

In September, Atesiano pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge of depriving the three suspects of their civil rights because he and the officers charged them without a legal basis. Atesiano’s conspiracy conviction carried up to 10 years in prison.